The Christmas Plan
by Fangirl140
Summary: After a total misunderstanding, Aqualad and Eli have to work together to get Speedy to forgive him. There's only three days left till Christmas, and they don't have a lot of time to convince the archer of the Atlantean's love! Spaqua R&R Enjoy!


Eli twirled around the Christmas tree in front of her while in a pair of snowman sweat pants and a snowflake covered tank top as she wrapped the tree in tinsel, a cheery smile on her face. She had everything laid out at her feet; ornaments, the angels, and the star that was to go on top of the tree. It was two days before Christmas, and she just loved decorating the tower on holidays, as well did Aqualad. He had gotten up early with her and was putting up a string of Christmas lights on the walls of the main room. He as well was still in his night clothes; a pair of blue sweatpants and black wife beater. It was ten o'clock now. Both had been up for almost two hours working on the tower. The others were still sleeping, but Eli was about to change that. She walked over to the computer, pushing a CD into the drive before she hit the speaker button.

Christmas music blared through the entire tower, and Aqualad smiled down at her from the balcony as he continued stringing lights across the bars. She danced back and forth, her hips swaying as she hung another piece of tinsel. Aqualad rested his elbow on the railing, his head lying in the palm of his hand as he watched her. She looked so happy, so cheerful; a lot more than she usually does. She stopped for a second, walking towards one of the huge windows of the tower.

"Garth, look!" she gasped, turning around to look up at him. He shook his head, snapping himself out of the daze he was in, "It's snowing! I was hoping it would today!" She turned back towards the window, resting her hands against the glass as she continued gazing outside. She clearly resembled a little girl who was just seeing snow for the first time, and he couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's joy. The third song on the CD began to play, and the others were still not awake. Maybe the speakers weren't working on the other side of the tower. She shrugged, abandoning the tree as she bolted up the stairs, stopping in the kitchen.

"Eli, what's up?" he asked as he turned around to face her, walking towards the island counter in the center of the kitchen.

"I'm going to make some breakfast. I almost forgot I was going to when I got caught up in the decorations," she explained as she started rummaging through the fridge, pulling out a carton of eggs and the butter. She stopped, looking back up at Aqualad with a smile on her face, "Do you want to help me? You can make Roy's favorite!" She pulled out a box of pancake mix out of one of the cabinets before holding it up for him to see, "Your famous pancakes with your special ingredient! Although, you won't tell me what this special ingredient is!" She knew what it was though. She just liked to tease him a bit.

"That's because I want to keep it a secret!" he laughed, "They _are _Roy's favorite, so I should be the only who can make them they way he likes them!" She nodded her head, understanding his reason while she slid the box across the counter towards him.

"You really like him, don't you?" The blush that tinted his cheeks answered her question.

"Yeah, and I think he likes me too, but…he won't make his move!" he exclaimed, the frustrated tone in his voice catching her attention.

"Then why don't you just ask him yourself?" He looked up at her like she was crazy.

"Umm…because I can't!" he shouted, "I don't have the guts to do that…and besides, I want him to make the first move!"

"You'd better get a move on those pancakes then! Maybe Roy will ask you out if you make them," she said, pulling out a wok from one of the lower cabinets, "While you're working with those, I'm gonna make some of my homemade fried rice!" He licked his lips. They absolutely loved her fried rice. It consisted of eggs, bacon, hotdogs, rice (no duh), onions, garlic, and some seasoning. Apparently, she had learned it from her father, and she was carrying on the recipe. She pulled out a rice cooker from the same cabinet and started cooking some rice before she got to work with slicing the onions, bacon, and hotdogs.

Meanwhile, Garth was working with the batter for the pancakes, using a whisk to stir the water into the dry mix. He walked around Eli, reaching into the cabinet behind her before pulling out a certain _special _ingredient which happened to be just a seasoning. Cinnamon to be the exact seasoning. He had a feeling Eli knew what the ingredient was considering her culinary like skills, but she never said anything about actually knowing, so he never asked. He sprinkled a bit of the seasoning into the batter before he put it back up, stirring the batter once more. Carrying the bowl with him, he turned to walk towards the stove just a few feet away from him, but his body slammed into something, and he fell forward. The thing he had run into happened to be Eli, and the two teens fell to the floor, the batter pouring all over the blue eyed girl's clothes.

"Oh Neptunes Eli!" Garth exclaimed as he watched her mouth open in a gasp, "I'm so sorry!" She held her arms up, both covered in the pancake mix. Actually, her entire upper body was covered in the batter, but when she looked up at him, she didn't look mad or upset. She was smiling. He looked at her confused as he pushed himself off of her, and she just kept smiling.

"No need to apologize Garth," she said, wiping off the batter from her arms, "It's not like this hasn't happened before…"

"What are you-oh!" He remembered. On most mornings when everyone was up, and Eli was still cooking breakfast for them, the kitchen would turn into a disaster area. There would be just too many people there that eventually, someone, mostly Eli, would get covered in something foodlike. Aqualad stood up, offering her his hand, and she gladly took it. However, as soon as she stood up, the batter that had fallen on the floor made her lose her footing, and she started to fall backwards again, but he quickly leant forward and wrapped an arm around her waist, effectively stopping her from falling back to the ground. Then, the door opened…

Roy had practically fallen out of his bed when the music threatened to blow out his ear drums. He groaned, covering his head with his pillow as he tried to drown out the Christmas music. This was the first time the speaker system was used for musical purposes, so no one actually knew that when used as such, the music would be deafening to anyone's ears! He gave up, knowing that there would be no possible way of going back to sleep, so he threw off his blanket and hobbled over to his desk chair to grab his pants.

Walking out his bedroom door, he was met with _more _music. Damn Cyborg installing speakers throughout the _entire _tower. As he got closer to the door that would lead to the kitchen, the smell of cooking bacon and other foods swept over him like a wave. _A wave…_he smiled as images of the Atlantean flooded into his head. He had made it his goal this Christmas to make Aqualad…Garth his. The door slid open, and he walked into the room, stretching his body while he shut his eyes.

"Good morn-" He opened his eyes before the words caught in his throat. He couldn't speak; too many questions were clogging his mind. Why is Garth holding Eli like that? Why are they so close, and why is he looking at her like that? "GARTH!" he screamed, finally finding the words, or better yet _word_ to say. Aqualad's and Eli's head shot up to see the archer standing by the door, staring at them with a shocked look. The embraced teens quickly looked back and forth between each other before they realized why he looked so surprised.

"R-Roy!" Garth started, instantly removing his arms from the girl's waist. She fell to the ground with a loud _thud_ before a groan escaped her lips. "I-It's not what it looks like! I was just helping her up! She slipped on the pancake batter, a-a-a-and I just made sure she didn't fall! I'm serious!" Eli sat up, rubbing the back of her head that had made contact with the floor while looking at Roy.

"Really Roy!" she said, "He's telling the truth! Nothing happened! We swear!"

"Yeah, but by the way you were looking at her Garth proved that something _was _going to happen," Speedy growled, "I'm going back to bed…and will you please shut that damn music off? I can't sleep with it blaring through my entire room!" Before leaving, he kicked the plush, life size snowman that Eli had placed next to the doorway, venting his anger in any way possible. The door shut, and he was gone. He stalked down the hallway, pounding his fist into the wall every few seconds. _Goddamn it! _He cursed to himself, _How could I possibly think he would like me back? I mean…he showed signs that he did, but…gah! I'm so stupid! _He practically rammed down his door with his foot as he kicked it open (somehow, you can kick open a door on tracks…).

Holding back his tears, he dragged his feet across the floor as he walked towards his bed. He grabbed one of the pillows. It was the one that Garth had gotten him at the carnival; another sign he believed proved the Atlantean liked him back. He had won it at the throwing darts booth, and it happened to be in the shape of a fish. He had kept it, and he always had it near him whenever he slept. A tear rolled down his cheek, but he quickly brushed it away. He let out a growl before he threw the pillow at the wall.

"What the hell does he mean by, 'the way you were looking at her'?" Eli asked, standing up once more without the help from Garth this time, "I mean, I'm pretty sure you weren't looking at me in any specific way-"but she quickly shut her mouth when she turned to face her friend. He was on the brink of tears, his entire body trembling.

"Garth?" she whispered quietly, lightly touching his arm, "You okay?" He shook his head.

"No…" he murmured, "Roy probably hates me now…how could he seriously think that something was going to happen between us? No offense Eli, but I don't see you like that…I love you more like a little sister, but...I love him so much…and I'm talking more than just brotherly love." She nodded her head. "Oh, he can't be mad at me! Not now! Not when Christmas is almost here!"

"Don't worry," she reassured him, patting him on the shoulder, "We're gonna fix this!" He looked at her,

"How?"

"We have two days till Christmas actually gets here…well, actually three if you count today, so we have three days already including today to make this all right again!" she exclaimed, "Three days to show Roy that you truly love him, and him only!" He chuckled.

"Thanks…so what do we have to do first?" She opened her mouth to respond, but she closed it instantly as she thought. She looked down at her body, and the mess in the kitchen then back up at Garth.

"First things first, we need to clean up. Can you watch the food? Just make sure the onions and garlic don't burn, and when they're cooked enough, you can add the bacon and hotdogs." He nodded his head reluctantly, a little unsure about what he was supposed to do. Garth wasn't exactly the best cook in the tower; only making pancakes and cookies his strong point. Eli caught this look, and she quickly added, "Don't worry, I should be back before the onions are fully cooked. Just stir it frequently so they don't burn…" He smiled, a little more confident with what he had to do.

"Got it!" she turned to walk away, but she stopped, turning back around to face him.

"Garth, I'm sorry about all of this…" she apologized, "I promise, I'm going to do everything I can to fix this…"and with that, she walked out of the room, the door shutting closed behind her with a hiss.

**Plan A**

"Okay," Eli exclaimed as she walked back into the kitchen, causing the Atlantean at the stove to turn around. She had on some new, clean clothes now; a white and red striped tank top over her upper body and a green, pleated skirt hung from her hips, "I'm good to g-" she stopped, noticing the lack of music playing, "Did you turn the music off?" Garth nodded. "Don't want to piss Roy off more, do you?" He shook his head. "Okay…anyways, I'm good to go, and it seems you already cleaned the kitchen, so let's think about what you can do for Roy…" He nodded, moving away from the wok and sitting down on top of the counter that wasn't occupied by food or plates. She rubbed her hands together before she got to work on the fried rice.

"Okay, before we start discussing, I just have to say," he eyed her outfit as she turned around, the skirt flowing with her movements, "You're getting _way_ to into this holiday stuff. I mean, you look good and all, pretty too, but…_wow_!" She glared at him before she threw a rag at his head. He quickly ducked, chuckling as he sat back up, "I'm just saying!"

"I know, but right now, we're supposed to be worrying about what you have to do to let Roy know you like him and not me," she reminded him, "Not talking about my outfits or how I look. Why are you even looking?" Garth shrugged. "Maybe Roy does have a reason to be upset…" He shut up, his eyes narrowing.

"I wasn't looking at you for that reason. Your outfit just caught me off guard," he growled, "I don't see you like that…you know that…"

"But Roy doesn't…" she murmured, dumping the rice into the pan before she started tossing all the ingredients together. She shut the heat off, turning on her heel to look at Aqualad, "Look, I don't mean to be harsh, but when you do stuff like that, it only leads people to assume you have a thing for me which I know you don't. They don't know that though…_he_ doesn't know that, and even before, when Roy said that you _were_ about to do something because of the way you were looking at me, which I now remember…he had a right to look shocked." Garth ground his teeth together. He didn't look at her in any way, so she shouldn't be talking like the way she was.

"What are you talking about? I didn't look at you in any way! And I can't help my friends when they're about to fall?" he snapped, "Okay, I understand. The next time you slip on something, and I'm the only one close enough to help you, I won't try to. I'll just let you hit the ground!" She flinched back a bit at the tone in his voice before she quickly recomposed herself. Garth never snapped at anyone…ever, so this kind of shocked her.

"Sorry…" she sighed, wrapping her arms around herself as she looked down at the ground, "…I didn't mean to upset you…" He took a deep breath before he nodded his head, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought.

"Yeah, me too…I didn't mean to…explode," he apologized, "I'm just a little frustrated about what's happened." She nodded, turning back around to make individual plates of the fried rice for her teammates, but she stopped. She looked back and forth, expecting to see another bowl of batter for cooking, but there was none.

"Garth," he looked back at her as she glanced at him from above her shoulder, "why aren't you making your pancakes?" His gaze moved back down to the ground as he spoke,

"I tried to make them," he confessed, "but I kept remembering how they were Roy's favorite, and that would remind me how he's mad at me, so unless you wanted tears in your pancake batter, I decided against making them." She looked over at the abandoned box of pancake mix, and then back up at Garth. She said she was going to help, and she was going to do exactly that. She grabbed the box before she thrust it into his hands. He looked up at her, his eyes filled with hurt.

"You'd better start making those," she smiled up at him, "don't want to disappoint Roy even more, right? You can make the batter, and I can actually cook them if you want…" He gave her a curt nod, accepting her offer. "This is Plan A in our 'Get Roy to Like You Again' plan, so you'd better get a move on. It's almost eleven, and the rest of the team will be getting up soon."

_XXXXX_

Eli plated the last pancake before she turned around, setting the plate down on the island counter behind her with the bowls of fried rice. Garth was drawing circles on the countertop as he sat on one of the stools. She shook her head before she stood next to him, patting his back reassuringly.

"Don't worry, this is going to work…" she said. He smiled up at her before continuing with his circle drawing. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you take his food to him?" she exclaimed, practically jumping up and down in joy, "Breakfast in bed! What better way to get him to cheer him up?" Wasting no time, she bolted around the counter to grab a tray and the archer's food before she poured syrup all over the pancakes, and she thrust the tray into the Atlantean's hands before she pushed him out the door. "Go! NOW! If you need me, I'll be downstairs finishing decorating the tree!" He didn't even get a chance to say anything as the door shut behind him, and he was left alone in the hallway.

He let out a sigh as he walked down towards the archer's room, stopping outside the door. Inside, he could hear heavy metal rock music playing. _So much for going back to sleep, _he thought as he balanced the tray in one hand before he knocked on the door. No one answered; the music just continued to play. Again, he knocked, louder this time. The volume was turned up further.

"Roy," he called through the door, "Please open up! I have breakfast!" As if those were the magic words, the music was shut off, and the door slid open. Speedy leant himself against the doorframe as he frowned at the Atlantean. Garth put on his best smile as he looked at him. "I-I thought you might like some breakfast…" Roy looked down at the tray then back up to his face as he quirked up an eyebrow.

"Why are the pancakes in the shape of hearts?" Garth's eyes widened. _They are not_…He looked down, and there it was; the heart shaped pancakes.

"Damn it!" he hissed. How the hell did he miss that? "Gods, Eli must have done it without me knowing! How the hell did she slip that passed me?"

"Oh, so you didn't make these pancakes then?" Speedy crossed his arms in front of his chest as he waited for an answer, tapping his foot in frustration. _Tap. Tap. Tap._ The sounds vibrated through Garth's ears. He didn't know what to say.

"I-I-I…yes! No…not exactly," he whispered, "I made the batter…Eli cooked them, and I'm gonna guess she shaped them too…" Roy shook his head.

"Whatever, just get out of here," he growled, "I'm not hungry…" He backed out of the way of the doorway, and the door slid closed. Garth tried to say something more, but the door was closed before he could. It felt as if his heart had snapped in two as he stared at the metal of the door.

"I-I'm…going to leave the tray out here…if you do get hungry," he said, hoping Roy would say something back, but he didn't get a response. He set the tray down on the floor before he stood up, standing outside the door for a little while longer. The music turned back on, and he lowered his head, "I'm gonna go then…" He knew that Roy wasn't going to hear it, but he hoped that the longer he spent there, he would open the door and pull him into his arms. It never happened. Reluctantly, he walked away, heading back down the hallway.

Roy dropped the remote for his stereo as he slid down the face of his bedroom door, sitting on the carpeted floor below him. His head rested in his hands as he shook his head. _What am I doing, _he thought. He hated turning Garth away like that, but he felt as if he had to. He ran his hands through his already mussy hair before he fisted them, lightly pulling to cause him slight pain. Garth had said that he was just helping Eli, but why didn't he want to believe him? He truly believed that the pancakes were sweet, but he didn't make them, Eli did…He shook his head, letting out a frustrated growl.

Eli hung the last crystal ball on the tree before she reached for the box of angels to hang (…please, I don't want to hear any comments on that line. You know what I mean!). Finding the ornaments, she turned around to get back to her work when she heard the door behind her slide open. She looked over her shoulder, half expecting to see Bee or the twins, but instead it was Garth. She spun around, a frown spreading across her face.

"Why are you back already?" she asked, "I was thinking Roy would like those heart shaped pancakes and would have kept you in his room for the rest of the day…" When he didn't smile or chuckle, she knew something was wrong. "What happened?"

"He's still pissed!" he growled, "And next time, tell me when the pancakes are going to be heart shaped because when he asked and saw my surprised look, he found out I didn't make them! Then, he walked back into his room and closed the door. I left the tray outside his door, but I doubt he'll eat any of the food…" Garth plopped himself down onto the couch before he fell over onto his side, hugging himself tight as he held back his tears. Eli walked over and sat down on the floor in front of him, rubbing the arm that was barely hanging off the edge of the couch, but he jerked his arm away from her.

"Garth…it's okay," she whispered, pulling her hand back, "This was only our first plan. We'll keep trying until he's at the point of not being able to keep his hands off of you, got it?" He smiled weakly, but it was gone in a matter of seconds.

"Got it…"

**Plan B (The next day)**

It was now Christmas Eve, and the day before was a complete disaster. The heart shaped pancakes didn't help, and Speedy refused to come out of his room the entire day, and when he finally did, he completely ignored Aqualad the entire time. He wouldn't even look at him during dinner. After finishing off his food, he excused himself, not even caring if Bee said he couldn't leave, and he walked away, heading back for his room to continue sulking and avoiding the Atlantean.

Now, there was only one day left till Christmas; two days left to get Roy and Garth together. However, Eli and Aqualad had no ideas for a new plan. He collapsed onto the couch in the main room, his face buried in the cushions as he hid his face. They had finally gotten away from Bee and her nonstop questions about what was wrong, and they were now working on a new plan. Eli, lying upside down on the couch, pounded her head with her fists as she tried to think of something, but nothing was coming to her. She opened her eyes, looking back at the tree she had finished decorating the previous day. It was still presentless. Bee usually kept the presents in a closet in the tower and would put them under the tree during the night before Christmas to make it look like Santa Claus had visited them in the night. Her eyes widened,

"Garth!" she frantically hit the Atlantean's foot as she tried to get his attention. He groaned, sitting up on his elbows before he looked back at her.

"Did you think of something?"

"Well, it depends," she said, "Have you gotten Roy anything for Christmas yet? You most likely did though so-" He bolted upright, sitting up on the couch,

"SHIT! I almost forgot!" he exclaimed as he ran his hands through his hair, "Crap! It's Christmas Eve! How the hell did I forget?"

"Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing," Eli looked at him confused, "You would think that since you love him so much, he'd be the first person you'd buy a gift for!" Aqualad glared at her before he grabbed one of the couch pillows Bee found necessary to have as decorations and slammed it into the girl's head.

"It's not that I've completely forgotten about his gift, it's just…" he paused as he tried to think of what to say, "…I can't find that one, perfect gift. I mean, now it's hard…before, when I didn't have this massive crush on him, it was pretty easy to shop for him. Maybe a comb, or another pocket mirror for him to carry around, but now, I just want to get it just right, you know…to see the happy look on his face when he opens his present, and thanks me with all his heart." Eli literally 'awed' at the sweet confession. It was so heartfelt, she couldn't hold it back, but that earned her another smack over the head with the pillow.

"One: that wasn't necessary," she slightly glared at him before her face softened, "and two: we need to get going then! We need to find this one special gift and make sure it's under that tree by the time morning comes!" She quickly grabbed his hands before pulling him towards the stairs that led to the garage, but when they got to the garage, Eli stopped. Speedy was knelt next to his motorcycle as he cleaned it, polishing the metal with care. He looked up, about to say hi when he saw her hand clutching someone else's. He followed the arm up to the Atlantean whose face had paled over in just a few seconds. He pulled his hand out of Eli's fast before he looked down at the ground. Roy sucked in a deep breath before he turned back to his bike.

"Hey," he growled as he polished the black paintjob of his bike a little rougher than necessary, "Where are you two heading off to?" Garth was still frozen, so Eli quickly spoke.

"We're heading out to the city real quick…we should be back later." He nodded his head but said nothing else to them. The rag he was using was beginning to chip some of the paint as he carefully watched the two teens get in the car and drive off. As soon as they were gone though, he lowered his hand, resting his head against the metal of the bike as he tried to think.

"Why were they holding hands?" he asked himself out loud, "Garth said nothing happened between them, but now…damn it! I shouldn't have ignored him…" He threw the rag to the ground before he stood up. He was too angry to even notice what he was doing. He grabbed his bike and pulled on it hard, stepping out of the way as it fell onto its side. The metal smashed into the ground, and he knew there were going to be scratches all over it, but he didn't care. He stomped up the stairs, heading towards the kitchen to grab something to eat. Maybe a bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup, banana slices, and sprinkles. Garth always seemed to like the sundae like dessert when he shared it wi-He shook his head, stopping halfway up the stairs. He had to stop thinking about him…

Eli and Garth walked around the city as they tried to find a store that _wasn't _closed. They knew it was Christmas Eve, but there had to be at least one store that would be good enough for them to look around in. Turning a corner, the two walked down the sidewalk as they peeked through some of the windows, hoping to find something.

"Eli, this is worthless," Garth groaned, leaning himself against the jewelers window that they had stopped in front of, "I've checked this store already…I didn't find anything. Maybe we should just head back. I can probably make something for Roy…" She shook her head.

"No. Come on Garth, we can't give up…maybe you should take a look inside again. I mean, it is one of the very few stores open, so we should just look around a bit. You never know, you might find that special gift for Roy in here…you might have just missed it the first time you were here." He sighed before nodding his head, following the girl into the jewelry store. Going separate ways, the two walked towards different parts of the store, examining the different products there.

Garth was busy looking at some of the different necklaces they had, but he wasn't sure if Speedy would like something like that. Still, it was worth a shot. He leaned in closer, getting a better look at the lockets that were lined across the velvet padding of the glass case. There had to be something that could qualify as "the perfect gift" for Roy.

"Anything?" Garth slightly jumped before he turned around to face Eli, shaking his head. She let out a sigh, "Let's go then…I couldn't find anything over there that you'd might like to get…" He nodded, walking out the door first, not even waiting for Eli as he continued down the sidewalk, his hands in his jacket pockets. He looked up briefly as he stopped in front of another window. He hadn't gone in this one yet. He gazed in, never ending his search for his "perfect gift." Scanning over everything, his eyes caught sight of something in the store, and he quickly ran in.

"Garth! Where are you going?" Eli called as she ran after him. The door slammed shut just as she got to it, and she pushed it open, walking in quietly. He was standing on the other side of the room, and he was holding something, but she couldn't see what it was. She made her way over to him, and he was smiling. As she got closer, she could hear the sound of music playing; the peaceful harmony between a violin and a piano. In his hands was a glass, porcelain musical box. Actually, it wasn't a box at all. It was the shape of a dolphin, and it looked as if the dolphin was jumping out of the intricately crafted waves. She recognized the song that was playing as "Serenade to Spring" by Secret Garden, and looking up at her friend, she could tell he had found the gift he was looking for.

"Finally," he whispered, "Roy will love this…I just know he will! I have to get this!" Eli chuckled.

"Then get it! There's nothing stopping you, so go over there and pay for it," She pushed him towards the cash register, "I'm going to call Bee and tell her we have one more present that she's going to need to wrap and hide as soon as we get back to the tower. We can't risk having Roy see you walk in with that box. He might get suspicious…" Garth nodded before she left.

He couldn't keep the smile that had formed off his face the entire ride home. He didn't think it was possible, but he truly believed he found just the right gift for Roy. The dolphin was one sure way of reminding Roy of him, and although many wouldn't have guessed it, the archer actually loved instrumental music. He liked that heavy metal rock too, but when he just wanted to relax, peaceful music was the only thing he liked to listen to. Garth was the only one who knew, so he knew he got it right. He was going to love his present when he opened it the next day.

Eli parked the car in the garage before both teens got out. Bee ran down the stairs quickly and didn't even give Garth enough time to register what was happening when she took the gift and ran back up the stairs.

"Well, it seems our gift hunting day is done," Eli sighed, placing the keys back on its hook by the door. She turned back around, but the smile that was on her face disappeared when she looked back at Garth. She followed his gaze to the bike that was lying on its side. He knelt down, lifting it upright once more, and she almost flinched at all the scratches that were decorating the bike's side.

"He did this," he murmured, running a finger across one of the markings. Roy had to use a lot of force to cause those kinds of scratches when he knocked his bike over, but what he didn't understand was why he did it, or maybe he did know. Before he had left with Eli, she was holding his hand when they walked down the stairs, and Roy saw this. He was upset about that. That had to be it… "He must really think I like you…"

"Don't worry," Eli reassured him as she knelt down beside him, "This will all be fixed tomorrow. When he opens your present in the morning, he's going to run into your arms and tell you he loves you with all his heart." He smiled, hoping she was telling the truth.

"I really hope so…but I really think I should do something…more for him." Eli quirked up an eyebrow as her confusion returned. She was about to ask what he meant, but he continued, "Like…make him a card or something. Oh! I have an idea…I can make some of those sugar cookies he likes! He really enjoys those…" She smiled,

"Do you want me to help, or no?" He frantically shook his head.

"Sorry, Eli, but no!" he chuckled, "You made the pancakes, and that pissed him off, so I think it'll be best if I make them…" She nodded, standing up before she walked towards the stairs.

"You coming?" He let out a sigh before shaking his head.

"I think I'm gonna stay down here for a few minutes," he said as he looked up at her, "You go on ahead. I'll be up in awhile…" She disappeared up the stairs, and Garth turned back towards the bike. Again he ran a finger over one of the scratches before he walked over to the tool box that was placed on top of the construction table. He rummaged through it, finally finding what he was looking for. Cyborg had left it the last time he was there. It was some scratch remover called "Fix It", and Aqualad figured it was worth a shot. It worked on the T-Car, so it was possible it would work on the bike. He walked back over to the bike before he uncapped the small little pen and ran the tip of it over one of the scratches. The white mark that resided on the side disappeared, and he got to work on the rest of the markings.

He smiled. Speedy was going to appreciate this. He spent the rest of the hour there, cleaning and polishing the bike, but he knew he had to get to work on the card. It had to be just perfect, so dropping the rag next to the bike, Garth walked towards the stairs before he shut the lights off and began his ascent. He was completely giddy for the next day. If the plan worked out like he thought it would, he and Roy would be together in no time. He couldn't wait.

**Christmas Day**

Mas and Menos bolted around the entire tower as they yelled for everyone to get up. It was Christmas morning, and they just couldn't wait to open their presents. Garth was already up and was currently in the kitchen finishing up his batch of sugar cookies as he put icing on them. They were all in the shapes of different Christmas things such as Christmas trees, candy canes, and he even had a few that looked like ginger bread men, but he also had a couple cookies that were made especially for Roy. They were shaped like hearts, and he had written one word on each one, plating them in order, so it would create a sentence. He put a paper towel over the plate to keep them hidden. He didn't want Roy to see them yet. He peeked over the edge of the balcony and could see the twins along with Bee and Eli sitting on the couch as they sorted the presents out.

He heard the door below him hiss open, and Speedy came into view a few seconds later. Hopping over the couch, the archer sat himself down on the opposite side from the two girls as he laid back down on his back. Garth couldn't help but smile as he watched him.

"Garth!" He turned his head sideways to see Bee looking up at him, motioning for him to come down with them. He nodded, walking back over to the counter before he grabbed his card which he held between his elbow and ribs and lifted the two plates of cookies into his hands. When he got downstairs, he placed the plates down on the table before he set the card down next to the plate that had Roy's cookies on it.

"Okay…since the twins can't wait," Bee chuckled as she watched the two boys in front of her bounce up and down, "let's let them go first, and then me then Eli then you can open yours Roy, and then you, Garth…" Everyone nodded, and as soon as they did, Mas and Menos were tearing through their gifts like there was no tomorrow. When one present was open and revealed, they quickly said thank you and began opening another. Most of their presents were toys of course. They were still kids, so they needed something to keep them occupied on their days off.

Finally, Bee got to open hers, and she thanked everyone as well. Eli was now working on her last gift, this one being from Garth. As she ripped the last piece of wrapping paper away, her sight came upon a small box. She lifted the lid, and she pulled out a beautiful silver necklace. Attached to the chain, was a small heart with a dolphin spread across it. She gasped, smiling as she held it up in front of her face.

"Garth, this is beautiful!" she exclaimed as she wrapped the chain around her neck, hooking the two pieces together, "You're really going for the dolphin theme, aren't you?" She winked at him.

"It's just so you guys remember me whenever you see your gifts," he explained. She nodded. "There's more…there should be a bracelet in there as well." Just like he had said, there was. She pulled out a red and black, hand woven bracelet with red hearts stitched into it. "I figured I'd make it the colors of your costume so you can wear it when we're fighting crime."

"Wow! Wait, you made this?" Garth nodded. "This is amazing! Thank you so much!" She wrapped her arms around him in a hug before she had Bee help her tie the bracelet to her wrist. Meanwhile, Roy was glaring harshly at the girl. A heart necklace _and _a heart bracelet. Sure, Garth had absolutely _no _feelings for her, and that proves it. He shook his head before he stood up from his seat on the couch. Garth caught this and turned around to see the archer starting to walk away.

"Roy, where are you going?" he asked, "It's your turn to open presents…I want you to open mine!" He spun around on his heel as he glared at the Atlantean,

"Keep your damn gift!" he cursed, "I don't want it…maybe you should just give it to Eli! I'm pretty sure she would just _love_ another present from you!" He began walking away again.

"Roy-"

"Just shut up! I don't want to hear it!" he spat before he bolted from the room. Garth's mouth remained open as the words that he was going to say hung on the tip of his tongue. A tear crawled down his cheek as the door closed. He rested his forehead on the couch cushion, the tears coming more and more as he stained the fabric. Eli looked over at him before she sat down next to him on the couch, rubbing his back slowly.

"Garth…go to him," she whispered. He lifted his head, his eyes already red and puffy from his tears as he looked at her.

"What good would that do?" he asked, his voice cracking here and there, "He doesn't want to talk to me; he won't listen to anything I say! There's no use in me trying anymore!" He pressed his head back into the cushions as he sobbed. Eli shook her head, a frown forming on her face.

"No…" she growled, "…no!" Garth jumped as her voice got louder. He turned his head to the side to look at her. She jumped up and grabbed Garth's present, the card, and the plate of cookies off the table before she walked back to the Atlantean. "Garth, stand up…right now!" He did as he was commanded, slightly cowering back at her anger. She pushed the different items into his hands, "Now, you are going to go to him, and you are going to give him these gifts! If he won't make the first _damn _move, you will! You got that?" He nodded, his eyes widened in fear. "Now, get your ass to that boy's room, and you'd better not come out of that room without him, and you two better be in the happiest mood possible when you do! If you're not, I'm going to lock you in the smallest closet possible, so you'd be forced to talk to each other! Understood? " Eli pushed him through the doors and shut them as soon as he was in the hallway.

Garth turned around just as the doors closed, and he gulped. He had never seen her like that before. It almost scared him. He walked down the hall, heading towards the archer's room. It reminded him of the first plan Eli had. Hopefully, this one would go better than the last time. Stopping outside Roy's room, he brought his free hand up to knock, but he hesitated. He was really nervous. He could tell by the way his fist was trembling. He opened his hand and rested his palm against the smooth metal. He looked down at the ground, breathing heavily. _Come on, _he told himself, _Just knock goddamn it. Everything will be alright…_He sighed, fisting his hand once more and knocking softly.

Speedy shot up from where he lay on his bed as he heard a knock come from his door, but it was almost too soft to hear, so he had to listen closely before he heard it once more. He stood up, walking towards the door, but he stopped when the Atlantean's voice echoed through the metal.

"Roy…will you please open the door?" He growled before he walked back to his bed, reaching for his stereo remote and pressing the power button. He crawled across the comforter until his head was positioned above his pillow, and he collapsed onto the bed, burying his face into his pillow. The loud rock music blared through his room as he tried to drown out the constant knocks and yelling coming from outside his door. He really should have been happy that he came back to talk to him, but he was too flustered, too frustrated; he didn't want to talk to him anymore. The knocking got louder, and it was now getting easier to hear the Atlantean's voice over the music.

"Open this door right now Roy!" Garth screamed as he pounded on the door. He could hear the rock music blaring, but he knew that at the level he was yelling at, the archer should be able to hear him.

"Go away!" Roy shouted from the other side of the door. He shook his head, finally giving up. He slammed his fist into the key pad next to the door, and it short circuited, and the door slid open. He barged in, the door shutting behind him as soon as he was inside, and he reached over and turned the lights on. Speedy sat up, turning over to look at the Atlantean, "Get out of my room! I told you to go away! I don't want to talk!" Aqualad set the plate and gifts down on the archer's desk before he spun on his heel to look at him.

"I don't care if you don't _want_ to, but we _need _to talk, and I plan on staying in here until we do!" Speedy ground his teeth in frustration as he watched Garth sit down on the edge of the bed, crossing his legs as he stared at him. "Now, let's talk…"

"There's nothing to talk about…" he dead panned, doing his best to avoid Garth's gaze, but he could feel the others eyes on him as he bore holes through is very being. He shivered a little, looking back over at the fish shaped pillow that had remained on the floor for the past two days, but as soon as he saw it, he shut his eyes to prevent any memories from the night Garth had given it to him to resurface. The Atlantean followed his gaze to the pillow before he sighed. He crawled across the bed, kneeling down in front of the archer before he placed one hand under Roy's chin and lifted his head up to look him in the eyes.

"Roy…please listen to me when I tell you this," he whispered, his warm breath tickling Speedy's face as he spoke, "I don't like Eli the way you think I do…I swear to every deity known. I don't love her…the gifts might say otherwise, but if you would look at your gifts, you would believe me when I say…I love you, and you only…please, just open your gifts…" He nodded, and Garth weakly smiled before he grabbed the three gifts off the desk and brought them over to Roy, setting the box and plate down on the bed and handing the archer the card first. It was made out of red card stock, and on the front were cut out letters that spelled, "Merry Christmas." There was also a tree with an angel on top of the tree. He smiled as he looked at it. He opened it, and the Atlantean had cut out two white pieces of card stock and had pasted it onto the card; a poem written on the two pieces.

He read it aloud, "I never meant to hurt you the way I have. Your love means more to me than anything, and I'll do whatever it takes to prove that to you. Since the day I met you and your love touched my heart, I knew that my life would never be the same. Please forgive me for the pain I've caused. I'll make it up to you every chance I get. You have my heart and my love forever. Have a Merry Christmas Roy. I love you…" He bit down hard on his lower lip as he held back his tears. Garth pushed the neatly wrapped box closer to the archer, and Speedy lifted it into his hands. He looked up at the Atlantean who gave him a small nod of encouragement. He ripped the wrapping paper off carefully before he opened the box that was hidden. Pulling out the Styrofoam that protected his gift, he separated the two pieces of foam before he saw a beautiful, glass dolphin.

"Wind it up," Garth whispered as he marveled at his gift. He turned it over, holding onto the small metal piece at the bottom before he turned it several times as he wound it up. When it couldn't turn any further, he let it go. He could hear a piano playing before a violin joined in. He looked up at Garth, a smile on his face before he looked back down at the dolphin. He set it down on the bed as it continued playing, and he wrapped his arms around the Atlantean's neck in a hug.

"Garth…thank you…" he murmured into the others ear before he pulled away, his hands resting on his shoulders, "…I'm sorry for the way I've been acting…I just thought that-"but a pair of lips met his, silencing him completely. A little shocked at first, he let himself melt into the kiss. He felt a hand brush across his cheek as they kissed, and it deepened soon, their tongues sweeping across one another's. Pulling apart for air, Garth rested his forehead against Roy's, looking him in the eyes, or his masked eyes to be more accurate.

"There's no need to be sorry…" he muttered under his breath, reaching up his hands to pull off the archer's mask, "I'm just happy now that I was able to tell you how I feel…" He set the mask down on the bed before he gazed deeply into the other's eyes. They were a beautiful, sea green color, and he couldn't help himself when he brushed his thumb across his bottom eyelid. A tear slipped past and wet his fingers. He sighed, reaching over to grab the plate of cookies before he brought them closer, "…here, these should make you feel better. They're your favorite sugar cookies," he said in a sing-song voice, "do you want some?" Speedy smirked,

"You know me too well," he whispered, pressing one more kiss to the Atlantean's lips. Garth pulled off the paper towel, and Roy's smirk grew even bigger. "Hearts?" Garth blushed but nodded his head. He read the message on the cookies as he read each one in the order they were supposed to be read, "Somewhere between all our laughs, long talks, stupid little fights, and all our jokes, I fell in love." He looked back up at Garth who was trying oh so desperately to avoid eye contact because of his embarrassment. Roy took the Atlantean's face between his hands to force his gaze up towards him. "I love you Garth…so much…don't you ever forget that…" He leaned in slowly, their breathing growing rapid as their hearts beat fast beneath their chests. The space between their faces was closed as their lips met.

Roy's hands rubbed up and down Garth's sides while the others were fisted in his orange hair. They fought for dominance over the others mouth, their tongues intertwining together as the kiss deepened like before. Speedy pressed his hand against the Atlantean's chest, pushing him down onto his back before he straddled him, his hands working their way under his shirt. A moan vibrated from Garth to Roy as the archer's cold hands brushed across warm skin.

"Roy…" Aqualad moaned, his own hands lowering to grip the edges of the archer's shirt. He lifted it up, pulling the shirt from his body. He tossed it to the side, and before long, his own shirt had joined the other. Speedy pressed his lips to Garth's pulse point, kissing up and down his neck. He nipped at the soft skin where his shoulder met the neck, and a pained gasp left Garth's mouth. "Oh Roy…"

"You like that?" he teased as his hands drifted lower, reaching the elastic of Garth's sweatpants. The boy below him hummed, nodding his head. He let his hand move under the fabric, his fingers lightly brushing across his arousal. Garth's back arched under the touches, a loud moan echoing off the walls of the archer's room. "How about this?" Speedy stroked him again to add emphasis to his question. His hips bucked up this time, another moan vibrating in his throat. Roy pressed his lips against Garth's, forcing his tongue into his mouth. Garth's hands moved across the others body as he attempted to memorize every part of him.

Speedy removed his hand from the boy's pants before he pulled them down, leaving the boxers in place. He pulled off his own sweats, resuming his position atop the Atlantean as soon as they were off. "R-Roy…" He looked down at Garth whose face seemed flushed under the minimal lighting of his room. He brushed his hand through his long, black hair,

"What's wrong?" he asked, pushing back strands of hair that had fallen over Garth's eyes.

"D-Don't you think we're taking this a little too…fast?" he whispered, caressing the archer's cheek with the back of his hand, "…I mean, we've just gotten together, and I know you love me, and I love you, but…" He choked, turning his head to the side as he tried to think, "…I don't want to…ruin our relationship by rushing so fast into this…" Speedy's concerned face softened as he sat up and moved off of Garth, lying down next to him.

"Okay…" he murmured, rubbing his fingers across the others cheek, "…I understand. We can wait…" Garth smiled before he snuggled closer to the archer's chest, curling up next to him as he shut his eyes. Roy wrapped his arms around the Atlantean's waist, pulling him closer before he pressed a kiss to the top of his head, "Merry Christmas Garth…" He looked up, gazing into green eyes with his own dark ones.

"Merry Christmas Roy…"

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**I hoped you enjoyed the story! It took me forever to write this, but I hope you readers out there like it! Please REVIEW! **


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